Attacker must pay £3k to victim seriously injured by punch

A MAN will have to pay £3,000 compensation for causing extensive injuries to a stranger with a single punch.

The sum was decided by magistrates in Nottingham after they heard how Lee Hynes launched the unprovoked attack at The Top Club in Clipstone.

The victim had been there with his partner when they got into a disagreement on October 5, 2018.

Self-employed Hynes, 25, of Walnut Tree Crescent, Forest Town, hit him.

The man needed 20 stitches to a large cut above his eyebrow, had two black eyes and a fractured nose in two places.

His nose had to be manipulated and reset and he suffered pain for several days, magistrates heard.

He said in a statement that the incident left him with extensive bruising, scars, a deformed nose and the loss of his sense of smell.

He said: “The level of injuries is severe but it could have been much worse. He could have killed me.”

Paul Wood, prosecuting, said: “He couldn’t see properly out of his right eye. In his view the assault was unprovoked and done in a cowardly way.”

It was witnessed by his partner who was having an argument but said it was not anything serious.

She saw this other man appear, hit her partner, causing him to fall sideways towards the floor and hit his head on the table.

“She confirms it was completely unprovoked,” Mr Wood told the court. “I can’t say the injuries were caused by the punch or him hitting the table.”

Hynes pleaded guilty to assault, causing bodily harm, receiving the £3,000 compensation order, a 12-month community order and to do 200 hours of unpaid work.

His lawyer said the offence was two years ago and she was not sure why it had taken police so long to bring the matter to court.

She said the summons was dated May 18, 2020, and Hynes first appeared on September 22 and entered his guilty plea.

Hynes had volunteered himself to police the following day and effectively accepted responsibility for this offence, she told the court.

Before the incident, he had been living in Newcastle and came to the Mansfield area “for a bit of a break”.

His partner walked out on him and returned to Newcastle. He went out on the evening in question and drank alcohol. He was extremely sorry for his behaviour, the court heard.